Offices float their way to Fulham for super sewer construction

Tideway has used the river to float new offices to Fulham, in preparation for the start of construction work on the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

They arrived at Carnwath Road Riverside this week with the help of Tideway’s newest recruits, two specially-commissioned tug boats, Felix and Christian, following a thirty-mile trip up river from Tilbury.

Felix and Christian will deliver materials to and from the site near Wandsworth Bridge, one of 24 being used to build the Thames Tideway Tunnel - a 25km ‘super sewer’ urgently required to tackle the discharges of millions of tonnes of untreated sewage that currently pollute the River Thames every year.

The arrival of the first load of cabins on Wednesday, September 14, marked the imminent start of construction in west London. The Tideway project will create more than 4,000 direct and sustainable jobs and will be the biggest infrastructure project the UK water industry has ever undertaken.

Ben Green, Tideway’s delivery manager for the west section of the tunnel, said:

“We are committed to using the river as much as we can to transport construction materials for our project. Felix and Christian show that we mean what we say and will make a big reduction in HGV movements on London’s roads linked to our work. I look forward to them becoming a familiar site on the river over the coming months and years.”

“Our new NavTug 18TS tugs were chosen for their compatibility with the unique River Thames environment, and their high specification in terms of noise attenuation and emissions. The £2.3 million investment made by the joint venture in purchasing these tugs demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative sustainable transport solutions for this landmark project.”

The office units were delivered by Bennetts Barges and will be used by the contractors delivering the west section, a joint venture between BAM Nuttall, Morgan Sindall and Balfour Beatty (BMB). Tunnelling work at Carnwath Road Riverside starts in 2017 for the western section of the tunnel that will go west to Acton Storm Tanks, the starting point of the Thames Tideway Tunnel.